


Prompt: Sophie's Birthday

by orphan_account



Series: One or the Other [15]
Category: All For The Game - Nora Sakavic
Genre: Lots of Angst, M/M, Minor Violence, Oral Sex, Some Fluff, nothing explicit there, reference to past child abuse, reference to past child sexual assault
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-10-20
Updated: 2017-10-20
Packaged: 2019-01-20 09:05:30
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 15,672
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/12429525
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/orphan_account/pseuds/orphan_account
Summary: so @casuallybigenderbadger asked for: So I just read so many of your aatt things and I love how you write them and their dynamic and Aaron's developing dynamic with Andrew, but honestly I need Sophie, so maybe prompt: Sophie's birthday, her extended family (read: mom's family) shows up, protective Aaron and Andrewand an anon asked for: I feel like you've done this already but some soft fluffy aatt after Matt's been away for Exy for a while??I did myself a favor and combined these two prompts.





	Prompt: Sophie's Birthday

**Author's Note:**

> I'm not sure if I really hit all the points in both promts?? But this is what I've got. It's also over 15k words so... Take it or leave it man, idk what to tell you. 
> 
> This week has been total and utter hell for me. I'm sorry that this prompt turned out a little shitty.

Aaron is in his tiny office and working on a mountain of files when he gets a call from Zara. “Hello?” He glances at the clock. It's only four. Sophie’s first day of winter break was yesterday, but Matt won't be home until next week because of the Court game in Switzerland. Zara is watching Sophie all day now.

“Aaron, there are some people that just pulled up at the house.” Zara sounds worried and a little panicked. “This woman said she was Sophie's aunt. Sophie said she was, but when I asked them to wait a moment while I called you, Sophie said that she didn't like John and, well, I remember what you told me.” 

“I'm on my way,” Aaron says quickly. “I don't know why they're here, but I'll call Kathleen now.” He is already on his feet and grabbing his coat. He smacks the light on the wall and yanks the door closed. 

“All right. What should I tell Sophie? She's asking about her cousins.”

“Tell her I'll call you back in a minute and talk to her then,” Aaron says. He waits until Zara gives him the okay before hanging up. He explains to one of the nurses what's going on and to just page him if they need anything. He's jogging away before anyone can protest. 

He calls Andrew first. “Are you busy?”

“No. Why?” Andrew asks.

“Because apparently Kathleen and fucking John just showed up at my house and Zara is panicking. You're closer than I am. Can you get over there?”

“On my way.” Andrew hangs up. 

Aaron calls Kathleen once he makes it go the parking garage. “What the fuck are you doing at my house?” he demands as soon as the call goes through.

“We came to visit Sophie for her birthday and Christmas,” Kathleen says. She sounds annoyed, but Aaron doesn't give a shit. 

“And you didn't think to tell me?” Aaron slams his car door shut behind him as he sinks into the seat behind the wheel. “My sitter doesn't know who you are, she didn't know to expect you, and now she's worried because, to her, some random people just showed up at my fucking house!”

“You don't have to be so nasty about it,” Kathleen says with a haughty sniff. “I thought I told you we were coming. Now, will you please tell your sitter to let us in? It's cold out here.”

“Not until I get home, no,” Aaron says. “If you don't want to wait, go somewhere else for a while. It takes me a half an hour to get home. I'm sure you can go check in to your hotel.”

“We don't have one,” Kathleen says. He hears a car door shut. 

John’s voice fills the Bluetooth speaker in Aaron's car and it sets his teeth on edge. “I don't understand what the problem is, here. We're all family.”

“No, we are not,” Aaron grates out. “In case you forgot, Gregg was the one married to Katelyn, not me.”

“Look, you're a big shot doctor now. Matt plays professional exy. You have a big house and plenty of room. What's the big deal?”

“The big deal is that you assholes didn't even tell me you were fucking coming to Chicago, and now you expect me to just let you stay in my house? No! Besides, there's only one free bedroom at the moment because Zara is staying with us for the holiday. She's taking care of Sophie while Matt's gone and I'm at work.”

“Well now that we're here, she can go home and we can watch her. It all works out.”

“Except for the part where I don't want you staying in my house,” Aaron nearly shouts. He chokes the life out of his steering wheel. “Why is that so hard for you to understand? I am not comfortable with all of you in my house while neither Matt nor myself are home, and Matt won't be back until next week.” 

“Ever since my accident at work,” John says, “things have been rough on the family. I just wanted to do something nice for them. Kathleen and the boys want to spend time with Sophie. Why can't you just let us stay?”

“No,” Aaron says. He hangs up before he has to spend another second talking to that asshole. He calls Andrew again. “They are trying to insist on staying at my house!”

“No.” Aaron can hear the Maserati’s engine roar in the background. 

“That's what I said, but they aren't fucking listening.” Aaron sighs. “Just - don't let them in my house.” Aaron hangs up and calls Zara back. “Andrew is on the way. He'll be there soon and keep them outside.”

“What's going on?” Zara asks quietly. He guesses she's trying to stay out of earshot from Sophie.

“Kathleen thought she told me they were coming, apparently,” Aaron says bitterly. “Yeah, right. They want to stay at the house while they're in Chicago, but I'm not going to allow that. The only time Sophie is allowed near that son of a bitch is if me, or Matt are there too.”

“The woman is knocking again.” 

“Ignore her,” Aaron says. “Andrew will be there soon. Take Sophie upstairs if you need to.”

“Okay,” Zara says softly. “I'll keep her away from the door.” Aaron hangs up and focuses on getting back to the house as quickly as he can manage. 

When he pulls up at the house, the driveway is blocked. He has to park on the street, which pisses him off, but he is more concerned with the way John is currently yelling at a bored-looking Andrew. Aaron slams the car door behind himself, attracting everyone's attention. He walks up the driveway over to Kathleen. He notices their two boys in the car that's still running, and he's glad the boys are warm at least.

“Kathleen, what the fuck? Why can't you guys just go stay in a hotel? I can bring Sophie by when I have time or we can all meet up somewhere for her and the boys to play.”

Kathleen glances at her boys and over to where John is still talking at Andrew (Andrew isn't responding). She waves him a little further away, so Aaron huffs and follows her. She drops her voice to a whisper. “We can't afford it, okay?” 

“So, what, you thought you'd just show up, and I'd let you stay here out of the kindness of my heart?” Aaron sneers at her. “I'm not that kind of person, Kathleen. I don't fucking care if you're broke. Go back home.”

“Our flight isn't until the third,” Kathleen says stiffly. “We can't change it.”

“Pity,” Aaron says with a shrug. “You might want to call your mom and ask if she can cover your hotel stay, then.” He turns his back on her and walks to the front door. He waits there until Andrew walks over to join him. 

John tries to reach out and grab Andrew on his shoulder as he walks away. Andrew smacks John's hand back using the thick black cast on his left forearm. He'd had surgery on it only yesterday, which is why he wasn't with the Court team on the way to Switzerland. John yelps in pain and clutches his hand to his chest. Andrew says, “Do not touch me.” When he gets to the door, Aaron unlocks it and heads inside. Andrew follows and locks it behind himself. He even sets the alarm.

Aaron can hear Sophie running down the stairs. He turns to them and summons up a smile for her, even if it is a small one. He kneels to catch her as she flings her tiny body at him in a fierce hug. “Hey, princess.”

“Why can't they come in?” Sophie asks, looking up at Aaron. She looks over at Andrew and then goes to hug his leg. She pats the cast on his arm gently. “Aawon told me you go huwt. I'm sowwy.” Andrew just pats her back with his left hand. 

“They didn't tell me they were coming, Soph,” Aaron says, trying for a soft tone and not quite managing it. “They need to go find a hotel to stay in, and then we might go see them later tonight, okay?” 

“Okay.” Sophie sighs dramatically and goes over to flop down on her tiny stuffed chair. “I miss playing with them.” 

“Maybe they can come over on Christmas Eve once Matt is home,” Aaron says. He turns away from her and frowns a bit. He doesn't want them there, but he also doesn't want to prevent Sophie from seeing her family. 

“Okay,” Sophie sighs again. “Can I go play outside?” 

“Yeah.” Aaron goes over to the coat rack and helps Sophie into her coat, pulls a little beanie over her head, gives her her gloves, and makes her put on her little boots. She runs through the house and barrels out the door into the backyard. He, Andrew, and Zara head to the kitchen. 

“Why didn't they tell you they were coming?” Zara asks. She picks up a mug from the counter and takes a sip. 

“Kathleen said she thought she told me, but I doubt she ever planned to,” Aaron says with a sneer. He crosses his arms over his chest and leans against the counter. “She says they're broke. I don't give a fuck. They aren't staying in my house.” 

“If they are so destitute, why did they bother coming in the first place?” Andrew asks.

“John said something about trying to give them all a nice trip since things had been tense after his ‘accident’ at work.” Aaron snorts. In German, he says to Andrew, “I wonder if he's figured out why that happened yet.”

“I doubt it,” Andrew says. 

Aaron shrugs and turns his attention to Zara. “How was she today? And problems?”

“This morning was a little rough, but she's been okay since lunch.” Zara frowns a little. “She kept mentioning her mom and dad. I didn't really know what to say.” 

“They died two weeks ago last year,” Aaron says quietly. Zara nods a little and frowns down at her tea. He looks at Andrew. “Have you heard from Neil yet? I tried calling Matt on the way over here but his phone went to voicemail.” Andrew just shakes his head. “Shit.” 

“The one time the giant would actually be useful and he's gone,” Andrew mutters. He blinks slowly, then yawns.

Aaron narrows his eyes at him. “Are you high?” Andrew shrugs. “Fucking Christ, Andrew. You should have said something.”

“It is not enough to affect my driving,” Andrew tells him with a flick of his fingers. “The painkillers are not that strong.”

“You just had fucking surgery on your arm,” Aaron says flatly. “I'm pretty sure I know exactly what they gave you, which would be enough to knock most people on their ass.”

“I am not most people,” Andrew says. He shrugs and looks at the cast that stretches from his hand to halfway up his forearm. 

He'd shattered his wrist during the last Court game. One of Australia’s strikers had deliberately targeted Andrew and run into him. His racquet had slammed down on Andrew's wrist as he pinned him to the floor. Aaron had watched it happen and felt sick at the sight of one of the little bones poking out of Andrew's wrist as he held his arm to his chest and walked his way off the court. They'd had to put the game on hold for long enough to clean up the blood. 

“I'm not letting you drive again while you're fucked up on Vicodin,” Aaron says flatly. Andrew rolls his eyes. “Just stay here.”

“Do you expect them to come back?” Andrew asks.

“I expect them to try to get Sophie and the boys together to play,” Aaron answers instead. “You don't have anything else to do, and I'm on call twenty-four-seven until Christmas Eve.”

“Fine,” Andrew says, shrugging again. The drugs, despite his belief that they don't affect him, have made him looser and more relaxed. “You get to drive me to my apartment then.”

“Zara?” Aaron says, looking at her. 

She smiles. “No worries here.” She waves them off after Aaron pokes his head out to tell Sophie where he's going, and Aaron drives his Porsche instead of Andrew's Maserati. It doesn't take them long to get to Andrew's and Neil's apartment, or for Andrew to pack a bag. Aaron plays with Sir and King while he waits.

Back in the car, he glances over at Andrew. “Sophie asked for a dog for Christmas.” 

“Is that a good idea?” Andrew asks, raising an eyebrow. “Dogs need exercise.”

“I know that,” Aaron says flatly. “Matt and I were talking about it. She's allergic to dogs, though, so we either have to get some little ankle biter or a poodle. Those are like, our only options. Matt found a lady with some poodles nearby.” He shrugs. “She hasn't asked for anything else.”

Andrew doesn't say anything to that, just tosses his pack of cigarettes from hand to hand like he wants to smoke. Aaron won't let him smoke in the Porsche, though, so Andrew has to wait. Aaron's phone rings, loudly, and Aaron checks to see who it is first. He groans when he sees Kathleen’s name.

“Hello?” he sighs. 

“We wanted to ask if we could take Sophie out for dinner tonight,” Kathleen says. Her tone is a little short, like she's already lost patience with the conversation. 

“Where?” Aaron asks.

“There's a place for kids that the boys found online,” Kathleen says, and she still sounds pissed off. “There's games and stuff, but it doesn't look too corny.”

Aaron flicks his eyes over to Andrew. He shrugs, likely not caring. “Fine. Text me the time and place, and we will meet you there.” 

“Oh.” Kathleen sounds both surprised and disappointed. “We thought we'd just come pick Sophie up, but -”

“No.” He doesn't bother to explain himself. “Andrew is coming as well, in case I have to leave.” 

“Well all right. I'm sure we’ll see you later, then.” She hangs up and Aaron tosses his phone into the cup holder. 

“I do not like places with children,” Andrew says, looking out of his window. 

“Would you rather I leave her with Zara?” Aaron bites out. Andrew gives him a flat look. “I thought so. We’ll find a table in the back.” 

They make the rest of the drive in silence and get back to the house quickly. Sophie had already come inside, thankfully, so he sends her upstairs with Zara to change into something clean and dry after telling her where they are going. He and Andrew don't speak, they just move around each other as they wait until it's time to leave. Sophie bounces around when she comes downstairs, intending to latch onto Andrew. Aaron stops her before she can and only tells her that today isn't a good day. She nods, apologizes to Andrew sweetly, and then runs to go play in the little den where most of her toys are. Zara makes herself comfortable in the big chair by the window with a book and a fresh mug of tea.

“You don't have to stay here tonight,” Aaron tells her as they get ready to leave a short while later. “Andrew can watch Sophie.”

“Oh, all right then.” Zara closes her book. “Just call me if you need me. I don't mind.” She smiles a bit and stops to give Sophie a quick hug before making her way up the stairs. 

Andrew, Aaron, and Sophie pile into the Porsche. Aaron turns on the radio for Sophie and she sings along to the Disney playlist he has programmed just for her. It doesn't take terribly long for them to get to the restaurant, thankfully. Aaron parks near the back of the lot. He holds Sophie's hand until they get inside and find Kathleen, John, and the boys. Aaron gives Sophie some of the tokens and tells her to be careful and stay with her cousins. He asks the older boy, Kyle, to watch after Sophie. Kyle nods and dutifully takes Sophie's hand as they walk away from the table. Kathleen had already chosen the set of three tables in the very back corner, at least. 

Kathleen and John don't have much to say to Aaron or Andrew, but Aaron can't say he's disappointed by that. He just looks over the menu and orders himself and Sophie some food. None of the options are particularly healthy, but he is happier with his choice of spaghetti for Sophie rather than the pizza Kathleen and John order for themselves and their boys. 

“What, you aren't getting pizza?” John asks from the next table when he hears Aaron order. He choses a grilled chicken salad for himself. Andrew copies him. 

Aaron fights hard not to sneer. “No. Matt has a pretty strict diet plan, so we eat like he does for the most part.”

“But what about Sophie?” Kathleen asks with a frown.

“What about her?” Aaron asks. “Is there something wrong with her eating healthier foods?”

Kathleen stutters as she says, “No.” She recovers quickly. “But isn't it a little unfair of you? She's a kid. Why not let her eat junk food every now and again.”

“She does eat junk every now and again,” Aaron says, barely keeping his temper in check. “She gets ice cream and cupcakes and other shit. Just not every day. Her snacks are crackers and cheese and fruit and things like that.” He nods over to where she's standing beside six-year-old Sam. “Sam isn't even a whole year older than she is, and look at how much bigger he is. She's tiny. She needs the right foods and the right vitamins to help her grow.”

“Well, you're pretty short,” John says with a laugh, “and Katelyn wasn't exactly tall herself. I doubt she's going to have much going for her in that department no matter what she eats.”

“I want to give her all the help I can,” Aaron says. His tone is short and a bit snappish, but he doesn't care. “She's my kid. I'm also a fucking doctor. I think I know what I'm doing.” 

Kathleen’s lips purse and John shrugs a little. Aaron huffs. He grabs his phone and checks it again, still waiting for word from Matt. The game is set to start tomorrow, but they should have landed by now. He doesn't understand why he hasn't heard from him yet. Andrew has sent Neil a few messages, but there's been no response from Neil, either. He pushes away the anxiety building under his skin in favor of getting up to go to Sophie where she's calling for him.

Sophie has a blast playing the little games with Sam and Kyle. There aren't too many people in the restaurant, so she runs around freely. Aaron has to pick her up so she can reach the controls on one of the games, but he doesn't mind. She asks him to play one of them for her and he gets a ton of the little tickets for her to exchange later on. When he spots the food at the table, he takes her to go eat and calls the boys over as well.

The funny part about dinner is that the boys complain that they wish they had spaghetti as well. They eat the pizza, but they aren't happy about it. Aaron helps Sophie eat, mostly ignoring his own food. He doesn't have the stomach for it at the moment anyway. He's too worried about not hearing from Matt. The last text he has is from very early that morning when Matt was boarding the plane in Chicago. It's now after seven. Even with the layovers, Matt should have been there by now…

Sophie and the boys run off to go play some more. Aaron pokes at his salad, but he doesn't eat more than a few bites of it. Andrew notices, but he doesn't say anything. They don't speak, they just watch Sophie and the boys as they run around. Aaron responds to a couple of texts from Haley, but he's not paying much attention to the conversation.

“About tomorrow,” John says as he leans over his table and props himself on his elbows. “We were wondering if we could stop by and pick Sophie up in the morning.”

“She doesn't do well in the mornings,” Aaron says. He half distracted as he texts Matt again. “If she doesn't stick to her schedule, she gets upset.”

“She'll be fine,” John says as he waves a hand through the air. “We want to take the kids around to the museums and all and figured she'd like to go with us.”

“It isn't a good idea,” Aaron says. He puts his phone down and looks at John. “Her morning schedule was an issue with you guys the last time she came to visit. I won't put her through a bad day. Afternoons are the best time for her. If you want to do something in the afternoon, I'll have Zara take her to meet you after she's had lunch.” 

“Why are you being so controlling over letting us see her?” Kathleen snaps.

Aaron has to bite back his first answer, which is the real truth. Instead, he says, “I'm not controlling her. This is a difficult enough time of year for her. We've worked out her schedule at home and she sticks to it every day. If something goes wrong, her entire day is ruined. It's easy enough to just stick to making plans in the afternoon. Why is that such a difficult concept for you to understand?”

“She wasn't that bad when she came to see us,” Kathleen retorts. 

“Really?” Aaron asks. “And just how often did she have a complete melt down when you tried to make her go anywhere in the morning? Or if you tried to make her do anything other than what she said it was time for?” Kathleen frowns as she thinks about it. “Exactly. She is the way she is. Unless it is a very bad day, we stick to her schedule, and I don't try to change it.”

“Isn't that a bad idea?” John crosses his arms over his chest as he sits back in his chair. “Wouldn't you want to ease her away from something like that?”

“We are,” Aaron says simply. “But it isn't as simple as you think it is. We are at the point now where we can substitute one activity for another, but only on certain days and only for the set amount of time that is allotted for the original activity. Change has to happen slowly. Telling her to deal with it isn't going to help, either.”

“I'd beat my kids’ asses if they tried to pull some shit like that,” John snorts contemptuously. 

Aaron narrows his eyes, but Andrew says something before he gets the chance. “If you so much as lay a finger on her, I will cut your fucking hand off.” 

Kathleen's eyes go wide, and she looks at Aaron, outraged. When Aaron doesn't immediately say anything, her mouth drops open. “You - you're just going to let him threaten my husband like that?”

“Yes,” Aaron says coldly. “I would do the same. There is never, ever an excuse to hit a child. Don't try to justify it with me.”

“Now just hold on one second.” John looks pissed. Aaron doesn't care. “Sometimes -”

“No,” Andrew says to cut him off. “I watched Aaron's mother beat the shit out of him and justify leaving fucking bruises all over him every chance she could. I will not allow anyone to hit Sophie, even if you believe it to be discipline.”

Kathleen and John just stare between the two of them for a long time. Aaron guesses they're finally remembering all the shit they've heard about them. Good. Maybe they'll take the threat seriously if they keep in mind that they're looking at a pair of murderers. 

Aaron stands and goes to find Sophie. He helps her spend her last game token and win a bunch of tickets. When Sam and Kyle get jealous, Sophie asks him to win them some too, so he ends up spending another ten minutes with them playing the dorky little games. Finally, he takes Sophie up to the counter to trade her tickets for a prize. She gets a small, black, stuffed rabbit. He waits for her to say goodbye to the boys, Kathleen, and John, while glaring at John the entire time and daring him to try and hug her with the way she's so obviously avoiding him. 

He and Andrew walk out to the car with her. Andrew smokes while Aaron helps Sophie into her seat, but she insists on buckling herself. She yawns and tells him she had fun. He gives her a thin smile and closes the door. He'd used the remote-start to turn on the car a few minutes ago and the heat is already circulating. 

“Still no word from Neil?” Aaron asks, checking his phone yet again. Still nothing. 

“They probably do not have service,” Andrew says with a shrug. “If there was an accident or anything like that, we would know by now.” Aaron nods, but he isn't convinced. He spends the next five minutes searching for any possible scrap of information he can get. There's nothing, which is odd. He'd expected something about the team arriving at least. 

Andrew pitches his cigarette butt to the side and glares a hole in the side of Aaron's head until he climbs in behind the wheel. Sophie winds up asleep before they make it halfway to the house. Aaron and Andrew don't speak as Aaron drives home, nor do they speak when they get back to the house. Aaron wakes Sophie up and gets her bathed and changed into her pajamas. They curl up downstairs on the couch and she picks a nature documentary on elephants. 

Sophie falls asleep again a while later, so Aaron carries her upstairs and tucks her into her bed. She doesn't wake up. He heads back down the stairs, wishing he could have a drink but not fixing one since he's on call. He fucks around on his phone for a while, bored. He's tired, but he's too anxious for sleep. He can't figure out why he hasn't heard from Matt and it's driving him crazy. 

Andrew comes in a little while later, bringing with him the smell of cigarette smoke and the wintery cold. Aaron wrinkles his nose, and Andrew rolls his eyes at him before heading upstairs. Aaron makes his way to his own room and changes into some warm flannel pants and one of Matt's tee shirts. It's ridiculously big on him, but he likes it for that reason. Out on the couch again, he uses his phone to read articles from different medical journals. Most of them are irrelevant to what he does, but some of them are still interesting all the same. Andrew stretches out over the loveseat with a book. 

After he's yawned three times in five minutes, Andrew throws a coaster at him. “Go to bed. If Sophie wakes up, I'll take care of her.”

Aaron shakes his head. “I won't be able to sleep anyway.”

“Why?”

He looks up at Andrew and debates telling him the truth. Andrew reaches for another coaster to throw and Aaron huffs. “Because I still haven't heard from Matt. I don't know what's going on, and I'm worried. All right?” 

“He's fine,” Andrew says flatly. 

“Probably,” Aaron acknowledges with a nod, “but that doesn't mean I'm not worried. He always calls me when he lands, and the plane should have landed well before now.” 

Andrew doesn't respond to that. Aaron tugs the blanket from the back of the couch down over himself, and he makes himself comfortable as he switches to an ebook rather than continue reading articles. He drifts off to sleep more on accident than with any real effort. At one point, he starts awake and finds the living room dim, with only the light above the stove in the kitchen giving off any light. His phone is no longer in his hand, but charging on the coffee table. He just rolls to his side and goes back to sleep without giving it much thought.

The sound of the alarm beeping as a door is opened wakes him up again a little later. He sits up, blinking, as Zara punches in the code and runs across the living room to peek behind the drapes to the outside. She mutters a curse.

“What's going on?” Aaron asks, tossing the blanket to the side and standing up. “Zara?”

She spins and looks at him, eyes wide. His own eyes narrow. Even in the dim light, he can see the cut on her lip and the red mark on her cheek. She covers that side of her face with her hand and turns her head away from him. “I'm sorry,” she says softly. 

“Don't,” he cuts in. His tone is clipped and sharp, but he doesn't care right now. “Tell me what happened. Is someone following you?” She nods, but doesn't speak. “Go sit in the kitchen.” Aaron flips the lock on the door and activates the alarm once more. She meekly goes to the kitchen as he jogs up the stairs. Outside of the guest room Andrew always stays in, he knocks on the door quickly. 

A few moments later, the door opens. Andrew is only wearing a tee shirt and gym shorts, he's even lacking his armbands. Aaron doesn't comment on that. He only says, “Come downstairs.” Andrew nods and shuts the door, likely to go put those armbands on, and Aaron heads down to the kitchen. Zara has already found an ice pack and has it wrapped in a towel and pressed to her face.

“Tell me what happened,” Aaron says simply. He moves to the electric kettle and fills it with water for tea. He's never really liked it, but he knows Zara does. He hopes it will help ease some of her shaking. 

Zara sits down at the tiny table in the kitchen with a heavy sigh. “I went out with some friends,” she says quietly. “We were having a good time, just drinking and dancing. Then...well, my ex boyfriend showed up and he started causing trouble.” Aaron crosses his arms over his chest and leans against the counter by the kettle as he listens. Andrew comes down the stairs just then. Zara hunches over in her seat, one arm wrapped around her middle. 

“I broke up with him a few months ago. We were both busy and all. But… I guess he was drunk or high or… _ something _ . He wasn't acting like himself. He grabbed me and tried to make me leave with him. I said no, but he just kept pulling on my arm.” She puts the ice pack down long enough to tug up her sleeve. Aaron's guts clench at the hand-print shaped bruise already forming above her wrist. She puts the ice pack back on her face. “One of my friends tried to stop him. I don't know how it happened, but suddenly everyone was fighting and Lee punched me hard enough to knock me down.”

“Did you hit your head?” Aaron asks. She nods and presses her hand to the side of her head. “Will you let me look at it?” She looks surprised by his question, but she nods again. He crosses the kitchen just as the kettle switches off. Fuck the tea.

He is as gentle as he can be as he looks at her scalp, parting her thick black hair in sections to check for blood or a bump or a cut. He finds one quickly. The cut is small, but the area around it is bloody. Zara flinches away from him when his fingers touch near it. 

“Hold still,” he says softly. She does, even if she's grimacing. He checks for more and is glad there's only the one. “Just one, and it's small.” He moves away from her and goes to get a little penlight from one of his coats. He flashes it in her eyes to check her pupils. “You probably have a minor concussion.”

“I'm sorry,” Zara whispers. Aaron watches as her eyes fill with tears. He frowns. “I just should have gone with him. None of this would have happened. And I can't be reliable for Sophie if I have a concussion.”

“No,” Andrew says, his voice rough with sleep. “Better to start a fight and draw attention to yourself than to go with someone who is willing to hurt you like that. It could have been worse.”

“Andrew's right,” Aaron says quickly. He thinks about Nicky back at Eden's for a moment. “Don't worry about Sophie right now. I can take her with me tomorrow. It isn't a problem.” 

Loud banging on the door cuts off Aaron's next words. Zara jerks her head over to the door, eyes wide with fear. “I knew he'd followed me.” 

“Zara!” a man, presumably Lee, shouts through the door. “Open the fucking door!” 

Aaron walks over to the door and punches in the code to deactivate the alarm. He flips the lock and yanks the door open. The man before him is nearly as tall as Matt, though much thinner. “My daughter is upstairs asleep,” he snaps viciously, “so I'd appreciate it if you didn't wake her up. This is a gated neighborhood. You need to fucking leave.”

“Fuck you,” the guy says, pointing at him. “Short fuck. Where is Zara? I know she's here!” He shouts into the house. Aaron punches the asshole in his solar plexus, knocking all the breath out of him and sending him crashing to his knees.

“I told you not to wake up my kid,” Aaron says simply. “Now get the fuck off my property before I call the cops.”

Lee struggles to his feet, using the door frame for support. “Zara!” he shouts again. Aaron punches him again, but he doesn't stop with just one. He follows it up with a punch to the bastard’s jaw, then a kick to his side when he falls over. “Fuck,” Lee whimpers. “You'll pay for that.”

“Like hell.” Aaron shoves him back out of the doorway with his foot. “You have two minutes to get away from my house.”

“Don't have to listen to some midget,” Lee says, still struggling to get to his feet. He takes a swing at Aaron, but it's wide and sloppy and Aaron avoids it easily. He's more than glad Matt talked him into learning how to box. “H-hold still, dammit!” Lee tries again and fails again. 

Aaron looks over his shoulder at Andrew. “Call the cops.” Andrew walks over casually, dialing as he goes. He keeps the phone on speaker and holds it up so Aaron can do all the talking. “Some guy followed my nanny home from the bar. He assaulted her there, then came here and tried to assault me while attempting to get into my house.” The operator dispatches a car and asks if Aaron wants to remain on the line, he says no, and Andrew hangs up. Lee is just staring at them both in shock. 

Lee rocks up onto unsteady feet. He turns, and Aaron thinks he's leaving. He looks back into the house, trying to check on Zara and make sure Sophie hasn't woken up and come downstairs as well. He doesn't see the blow coming. He is knocked back a step, his lip splitting under the force. He balls his fists, ready to beat the actual shit out of Lee, but Andrew punches him hard with his left fist, knocking Lee back and into the snowy yard. A knife appears in his hand as he puts one foot on Lee's chest and bends over him. He presses the blade to Lee's throat.

“Move and I will slice open your throat,” Andrew promises in a low, quiet voice. Lee doesn't move an inch. Aaron presses his fingers to his lip and they come away bloody. He spits a wad of blood and saliva out when the first cop car pulls up. A second one is close behind it. The lights are going, but thankfully not the sirens.

Aaron grabs two coats from the hooks by the door as he goes outside. He gives one to Andrew, whose knife has now vanished, and they pull them on as the cops walk across the yard. Aaron explains what has happened and heads inside with one of the cops to talk to Zara. Sophie comes down while they're talking, sleepy and whining a little bit, so Aaron just picks her up and holds her while the cops deal with everything. 

The cops take Lee with them when they leave and agree to send a tow truck to collect his car. Zara turns the kettle back on and fixes herself a cup of tea while Aaron tries to get Sophie back in bed. She doesn't go easily, but she does eventually lie down. When Aaron gets down to the kitchen, he tells Zara to sleep on the couch so he can wake her up in a few hours. She agrees, but she takes her mug with her to go shower and change. 

The night eventually settles back down again. Aaron sets a few alarms on his phone so he can wake Zara up at the right times. After Andrew and Zara have gone to bed, he takes himself to bed as well, curling up on Matt's side of the bed and wishing he was there. He doesn't sleep well. 

The next morning, Andrew and Zara stay at the house and Aaron gets Sophie dressed and ready for the day on his own. Zara is really feeling the effects of last night now, so Aaron gives her a few mild painkillers and tells her to just take it easy. Zara had agreed to stay at the house during most of her break. She will leave on Christmas Eve to go spend the holiday with her family, but she'll be back on the 26th. He’d asked her to stay so she could watch Sophie all day while he was at work. 

Sophie hugs Zara gently before they leave. Zara frowns hard at Aaron's bruised face, but he waves her off before she can say anything. Andrew isn't awake yet - or, if he is, he hasn't come downstairs. Aaron grabs Sophie's bookbag full of her things and they leave. 

Walking in with Sophie always gets a lot of attention - more than he'd like, truthfully. Today it has the added bonus of the “what happened to your face?” question. Aaron dismisses most of the people who ask with barely a look. He takes Sophie to his office and gets her set up at the tiny table he has just for her in one corner. 

Angela Wyborne, the surgeon who has an office directly across from him, stops by as Aaron tries to work his way through the mountain of files that's only gotten bigger. She props herself up against the door jamb, her arms crossed over her chest. “Morning.”

Aaron grimaces. “What is it, Angie?” He's tired, and he still hasn't heard from Matt - he's been glancing at his phone every ten minutes. 

“All right, grumpy,” Angie says with a laugh. “Hi, Sophie.” She smiles a bit at Sophie. Sophie waves a little, but she's quick to go back to her coloring. “Rough night?”

“You have eyes,” Aaron snaps. He shuts one file and moves it to the side before grabbing another. 

“I do.” She pauses for a moment, but Aaron doesn't look up at her. “You really are in a shitty mood, aren't you? I feel bad for any patient that pisses you off today.”

“I don't usually have to talk to them,” Aaron mutters. “That's what my nurses are for. I just go in after the idiots are already knocked out.” 

“Remind me to ask how you managed to talk Jimmy into that.” Angie comes in and sits down in the single chair on the other side of Aaron's desk. “Come on, talk. Something is bothering you.”

Aaron glances up at her. “Oh, well let's see. I haven't heard from Matt since he got on the plane yesterday morning, my nanny was assaulted last night, the asshole followed her home and tried to get into my house, he punched me - as you can see - and Sophie didn't sleep well. Oh, and Sophie's aunt and uncle came by on an unannounced visit yesterday assuming that I'd let them stay in my house while they were in Chicago. That was why I had to leave early yesterday.”

“There was an emergency surgery, by the way, but I handled it. I figured whatever it was you had to leave for was important. Do you not like them or something?”

Aaron glances at Sophie. “Soph, why don't you go get some of your juice from the break room?” Sophie nods and jumps up. The break room is only just down the hall, so he isn't too worried about her. As soon as she's gone, he looks at Angie with narrowed eyes. “Her uncle molested her.” 

Angie’s mouth drops open. “And he isn't in prison?” She drops her voice and mutters, “Or  _ dead _ ?” Angie had Googled Aaron once and found out about the trial, so she knows about what happened with Drake. 

“As much as I wish that was the case,” Aaron says darkly, “no. But he did have an ‘accident’ at work that castrated him.” 

“Why didn't you press charges?” Angie asks.

“I couldn't put Sophie through that,” Aaron says honestly. “It was bad enough having to deal with everything Andrew went through.” She nods. “John doesn't know that I know about what he did to Sophie. I'm pretty sure Kathleen is completely ignorant. I still won't let them spend any time with Sophie alone, though. I can't.” 

“Understandable,” Angie says quietly. “Is that why you brought her here today?”

“Zara has a mild concussion,” Aaron sighs. “The guy that attacked her hit her a few times. She fell and hit her head. She's at the house with Andrew. If something happens, I can just call them to come pick her up, but I didn't want to leave her there.”

“Finish your paperwork and go home,” Angie says with a soft smile. Aaron has no idea why she likes him, but she's the department head and he'll take favoritism any day if it means he gets to spend more time with Sophie - and Matt. “You'll still be on call, but at least you won't have to be here.” 

“Thanks.” Aaron turns to another page in the file and scans over it quickly, trying to remember what he was doing a moment ago. Sophie comes back into the office with a bottle of orange juice and she goes straight back to coloring. 

Angie stands and knocks twice on Aaron's desk. “I get to go sit in a departmental meeting for a while, but I'll let you know when I'm back.” It's a sort of code for ‘you'll have to respond to emergencies for now.’ Aaron nods, Angie leaves, and Aaron dives into his files once more. 

Just before noon, Aaron gets paged. He takes Sophie to the nurse's station and asks Tom, one of his nurses - and the only one he actually likes - to watch Sophie for him. Tom agrees easily, and Sophie sits at one of the empty areas with her iPad and headphones while she watches Doc McStuffins. Aaron hates to leave her alone, but at least what he's been called for will be something easy and quick.

The problem is, it isn't easy or quick. Complications arise and he's stuck in surgery for three hours. By the time it's over, everything is fine, but this is one of the rare cases where he actually has to deal with a patient’s family. He handles that - and another hour of conversation while they drill him with questions - before he gets to go find Sophie and check on her. She's quietly coloring all over a notepad. 

“Did you each lunch, princess?” he asks, crouching next to her.

“Yep,” she says happily. “Tom heateded it up for me.” 

“Good. I'm going to go change, okay? It won't take long.” She nods and kicks her feet back and forth under the desk. He ignores one of the comments from another nurse - one that isn't his - and he heads off to shower. It doesn't take him long, but he's starving now. He groans when he's paged again - but it's over the speaker system this time, and it's Tom asking him to come to the nurse's station. He goes, quickly, thinking something might be wrong with Sophie.

He comes to an abrupt stop when he sees an all-too-familiar figure standing at the desk. John is holding Sophie, though she's leaning away from him. She starts to squirm as soon as she spots Aaron, holding her arms out to him in a silent plea. Aaron takes her right out of John's arms.

“What the fuck are you doing here?” Aaron snarls at him.

“Well, I called about a dozen times asking when we could come get Sophie,” John says with a nauseating smile. “I just figured I'd come and get her since you couldn't be bothered to answer your phone.”

“I was in surgery,” Aaron snaps. He looks at Sophie and gentles his tone. “Do you want to go with him?” She shakes her head. He looks up at John. “You have your answer. Now leave.” 

“Now wait just a second -”

“No. I don't appreciate you showing up here and trying to take Sophie without my permission. She doesn't want to go with you. You need to leave. Now.” Half the nurses are standing around just watching and listening. Aaron hates them.

“There's no need for all this,” John protests loudly. “I just wanted to take my niece to go spend some time with her cousins!”

“Minyard.” Angie’s voice echoes down the hall. “My office.” He looks over at her and nods. He carries Sophie with him, leaving her things at the nurse's station for now. Angie sounds angry, and she might very well be, but he doubts he'll be punished. Sophie hides her face in Aaron's neck as he walks away with her, ignoring John’s demands that he come back and talk to him. 

It takes a while for Angie to come to her office. She settles into the chair behind her desk. “I've made him leave,” she says evenly. “I'm assuming that was Sophie's uncle?” Aaron nods. “I don't feel bad for calling security on him, then. You were in surgery?” Again, Aaron nods. “Well, I won't say anything else. You couldn't have known he would show up here.”

“I will make him understand what a shitty idea that was,” Aaron says lowly. “Bastard thinks he can come in here and waltz out with Sophie like she belongs to him.”

“Did he try to do that?” Angie asks curiously. 

“I'm not sure,” Aaron says honestly. “That was his intent. Get Tom. I'm sure he can tell us.” Angie pages Tom and a moment later, he arrives. “Tom, did John try to take Sophie and leave?”

“Oh, yeah. I mean, he tried, but there was no way in hell I was letting him walk out of here with her.” Tom shrugs. “I didn't know him, and even if Sophie said he was her uncle, she didn't look all that happy about him holding her. I told him he had to wait until you came back.”

“When did he show up?” Aaron asks.

“Like, two seconds after you left to go change.” Tom looks at Angie. “I think he might have waited until he saw Aaron leave, honestly. Just an impression I got.”

“Thanks, Tom,” Angie says. Tom nods and leaves. “I'll notify security. He won't be allowed to come back.” 

“Thanks,” Aaron mutters. He rubs Sophie's back. “I need to get something to eat.” 

“Go home,” Angie says. “If I need anything out of your files, I'll call.” He nods and thanks her softly. He and Sophie grab their things from his office and the nurse's station quickly. Aaron doesn't bother to look at his phone, since he knows it will only piss him off to see John's name displayed there. He carries Sophie to the car since she refuses to be put down. Once she's in her seat, she drops off to sleep. 

Aaron drives them home and wishes Matt were home. He's tired when they get back to the house, so he just takes Sophie to his room and curls up in the bed with her without even really bothering to change. He's pretty sure something wakes him up at some point, but he is asleep again before it even registers that he was awake in the first place.

When he wakes up again, it's late enough to be nearly dark. He yawns and stretches some. He can hear Sophie talking to someone in the other room, but he figures it's Zara or Andrew. He heads to the bathroom then takes the time to change into a pair of jeans and a tee shirt. He yawns as he makes his way out of his bedroom.

“Hey, babe.” 

His head snaps over to the living room. His mouth falls open slightly. “Matt's back!” Sophie says happily. Aaron nods mutely. He hears someone chuckle and looks to see Neil sitting beside Andrew on the loveseat. He vaguely remembers not seeing either Andrew or Zara when he came home. Now he knows why.

“Zara told me what happened last night, and you looked tired, so I figured I'd let you sleep.” Matt smiles at him. “C’mere?” Aaron goes, his feet moving without him saying they could. He sinks into the couch beside Matt and Matt folds him into a tight hug. “I missed you.” He kisses Aaron's temple gently. 

“Why the fuck didn't you call me?” Aaron asks. He's still annoyed by that. “What happened with the game?”

“There was a snowstorm,” Neil says. “The plane had to go to a different airport. The game was cancelled before we were on the ground, so the coaches just went ahead and booked us tickets home. We didn't have any time in the airport, we just had to go catch the new flight.”

“I tried calling you when we got back,” Matt says softly, “but you didn't answer. I called the hospital, but Tom said you were in surgery.” 

“I'm glad your home,” Aaron mumbles.

“Me too.” Matt rubs his hand up and down Aaron's back. “Andrew said there's been some issues with John and Kathleen.”

“Bastard showed up at the hospital and tried to take Sophie while I was in surgery,” Aaron says, sitting up straight. “It was supposed to be quick and easy, twenty minutes tops. There were complications, though, and it turned into three hours. I came back from changing and found him holding her.”

Matt looks at Sophie. “Did he hurt you, princess?” Sophie shakes her head. “Okay, good. Good. I'm very glad he didn't.” He brings her close and kisses her forehead. “This is fucking ridiculous.”

“Why not just tell him that you know?” Neil asks. “It should get him to back off.”

“I plan on it,” Aaron says darkly. “The very next time I see that fucker. I can't deal with him anymore.” He looks around and frowns. “Where is Zara?”

“I sent her home,” Matt says. “She looked like she needed her mom, ya know?” Aaron nods. “Speaking of moms, mine's coming, too, remember. She'll be here tomorrow night.”

“Shit, I forgot.” Aaron lets his head thump back against the couch. “At least you two can watch Sophie tomorrow. I really need to go in and finish some shit.”

“I got her, babe,” Matt says softly. “It'll be okay.” Aaron nods a little and he yawns again. Despite his nap, he's still tired. “What do you want to do for dinner? We were waiting for you before we decided on anything.”

“Doesn't matter,” Aaron says. He gets up and goes to get his phone. He clears away the various missed calls from Kathleen, John, and Matt as well as their texts. He does notice that Kathleen has asked about dinner as well, though, and while he doesn't want anything to do with them, he also doesn't want to keep Sophie from spending a little time with the boys. 

He brings that up to Matt when he sits back down. He looks at Sophie before any of the adults make a comment. “What do you want to do, princess? Do you want to go eat dinner with them?”

“Yeah,” she says with a nod. “I like playing with Kyle and Sam. It's fun.”

“All right,” Aaron says, brushing some of her hair out of her face. “Well, we can ask them what they're doing, I guess.” He looks at Andrew and Neil. “Are you two tagging along?”

“I'd rather not,” Neil says with a shrug. Andrew just points to Neil and nods. 

“Lucky bastards,” Aaron mutters. “I don't want to deal with them either.” He looks at Matt. “Will you call Kathleen and deal with her? I really can't right now.”

“Sure.” Matt stands and kisses the top of Aaron's head as he heads into the kitchen. Kathleen's kids love Matt - they love exy, so it makes sense. Aaron says goodbye to Andrew and Neil as they leave, and Sophie gives them both hugs after remembering to ask first. Matt comes back to the living room a little while later and tells them where they've agreed to go for dinner. He ends up taking Sophie upstairs to change and brush her hair. Aaron decides he's dressed well enough - he doesn't quite care what John and Kathleen think. The only thing he adds is a pair of boots. 

They take Matt's truck to the restaurant. Aaron sits with his back to the wall, but Matt sits right beside him and holds his hand under the table. He can't wait to get back home already. He just wants to curl up with Matt and be comfortable and relaxed. He doesn't want to be here with John and Kathleen - he doesn't mind the boys too much. Matt talks to them so Aaron doesn't have to, which is nice. He's missed this more than he realized. 

Thankfully, dinner doesn't last too long and nothing really happens during it. Kathleen asks about Sophie coming with them during the day again, and Matt says the afternoons are best - just as Andrew had said the night before - but that he'd be more than happy to meet them somewhere. They all head out to the parking lot together. Aaron hangs back a little bit, his earlier anger towards John resurfacing. John lingers behind the others as well, with Kathleen herding the boys into the car. 

“John.” Aaron waits until John looks over at him. He gets as close as he can stomach, drops his voice, and says, “I know what you did to Sophie, and if I ever catch you near my kid again, your dick won't be the only thing you lose.” He walks away as John stares at him open-mouthed. He climbs into the truck just as Matt settles in behind the wheel. 

“John knows,” is all he says. Matt nods, his expression a little grim. After Matt gets them on the road, he takes Aaron's hand and kisses his knuckles gently. Most of the scars have faded away, but they aren't entirely gone. Sophie giggles a little from her seat and Matt smiles into the rearview mirror at her. He keeps one hand on Aaron's as he drives them all home.

Matt takes care of Sophie, bathing her and getting her into pajamas. Aaron curls up on the couch as he waits for them. He texts Andrew  _ he knows _ but nothing more. Andrew doesn't respond, but that was expected. Before Matt and Sophie come back down, Aaron winds up falling asleep on the couch. Now that Matt is home and safe, now that the mess with John has been somewhat handled, Aaron relaxes. 

It isn't until much later that Matt wakes him up. The living room is dark. Sophie must already be in bed. Aaron is barely awake before Matt's picking him up and carrying him to their bedroom. “Put me down,” Aaron mutters. 

“Sure,” Matt says, but he doesn't until he gets to the bed. “There.” He grins and Aaron rolls his eyes. Matt just bends and kisses Aaron gently. Aaron sighs into it a bit. It's only been a few days, and already he feels like it's been too long. Matt wraps his arms around Aaron's back and just holds him - it's so much nicer than Aaron would have ever let himself believe when he was younger. Matt pulls back and touches his fingers to Aaron's split lip, frowning. “That guy did this?”

Aaron nods. “Don't worry about it.” He pulls Matt into another kiss, but Matt won't deepen it. “Matt.” He yanks on Matt's hair a little, just enough to get his attention. “I have had a couple of really bad, really fucked up days. I don't want to think about any of that shit right now, okay?” 

“Okay.” Matt lets go of Aaron long enough to pull his shirt over his head and shuck his jeans. Aaron does the same. Once Matt's on the bed, Aaron sits in his lap, facing him, and kisses him hard. Matt’s hands trail up Aaron's back and over his shoulders, down his sides, across to his stomach and down again to his thighs. It's almost like he has to relearn Aaron every time their apart for more than a day. Aaron doesn't need any help remembering Matt, but it's still nice to feel the so well-defined muscles just under his skin. 

“Fuck me?” Matt asks into one of their kisses. 

Aaron breaks it to shake his head. “Not tonight. I'm still on call.” Matt nods, understanding as always. Aaron usually feels like he doesn't deserve to be understood half so well, or like it's impossible that anyone should know him well enough to do so in the first place. With the exy season and Aaron's work keeping them apart so much, Aaron is grateful for every moment he gets with Matt lately. 

“Gotta give me somethin’, babe,” Matt says with a grin. He kisses down Aaron's neck. In between kisses he says, “It's been too damn long.” Aaron wraps his hand around Matt's neck and squeezes gently, earning a soft, low groan. At least Sophie's room is clear on the other side of the house. Aaron relaxes his hold quickly. He rarely keeps up any pressure for more than a half a second unless he has the time and energy and focus to devote to such a thing. He doesn't ever take it lightly. 

Matt yanks Aaron's boxer briefs down around his thighs and wraps a hand around Aaron's dick, stroking slowly and gently. Aaron hisses, offering more of a sound than he usually would. He knocks Matt's hand away after just a moment. He knows he won't last long, not with as long as it's been - between Matt's exy practices and Aaron scheduling all of the surgeries he had to do over the last couple of weeks -, but he doesn't care. He'd rather take care of Matt just now. 

Matt slides his hips down the bed as Aaron tugs his boxers off him. He winds up sort of slouched against the headboard. Aaron leaves a trail of kisses and small, sharp bites down Matt's neck and chest to his stomach. He fists Matt's cock and pumps him over and over, getting him fully hard. He adds his mouth, and Matt groans again before he begins to talk - inane things, mostly Aaron's name or ‘babe' or compliments and urges for him to continue with something in particular. Aaron sucks him off and swallows him down in turns until Matt falls apart beneath him. 

Matt drags him up and kisses him hard before rolling Aaron onto his back and returning the favor. Aaron comes quickly, tugging at Matt's hair and even allowing himself a rare, small moan. When Matt finally pulls off him, he wraps his arms around Aaron and pillows his head on Aaron's shoulder. Aaron combs his fingers through Matt's hair, just enjoying the close softness of the moment. It's peaceful and quiet, something they don't get to experience often with their jobs and Sophie. 

“As much as I love playing exy, I'll be glad when the season is over,” Matt says softly. 

“Me too,” Aaron mutters. “I won't have to worry about you and Sophie all the fucking time.”

“Aw, babe,” Matt teases, sitting up enough to kiss his cheek, “that's sweet.” Aaron rolls his eyes. “Nope, you said it already. No take backs.” He laughs as Aaron pokes him in the side. “Hey! Don't poke me.”

“Then don't say stupid shit,” Aaron counters. Matt grabs him and rolls with him, pulling Aaron over on top of him this time. Aaron digs his chin into Matt's sternum just to make him wince. “Now stop being a goofy idiot and kiss me again.” Matt grins and pulls Aaron up to him to kiss him gently. Aaron maneuvers himself back onto the bed. He tosses one arm over Matt and presses his forehead to Matt's shoulder. “I gotta go get my phone.”

“I'll get it, babe.” Matt tugs away from Aaron gently and rolls off the bed. He tugs on gym shorts from the dresser but nothing else as he leaves the bedroom. Aaron smiles a little to himself, more than glad to have Matt back at home. Matt comes back into the room a few minutes later with their phones and bottles of water from the fridge. Aaron sits up to drink his, and Matt tosses another pair of gym shorts at him to sleep in. Aaron doesn't need much when Matt is in bed with him since Matt gives off so much heat, but neither of them sleep naked because of Sophie’s penchant for coming into their room to wake them up in the mornings.

“So this game was supposed to decide if we were going to make it into the Olympics or not,” Matt says as he and Aaron settle into bed together. Aaron nods, remembering what Matt had said. “Switzerland will come to us for the rematch. We lost our by-week.”

“Well, that's part of the point in having one anyway,” Aaron says with a sigh. “Throw the match, that way you won't have to play anymore Court games this season.” 

Matt sticks out his tongue at Aaron. “Fuck you. We wouldn't dare throw a match. That's like, treason or something.”

“Or something,” Aaron mutters.

Matt pokes him in the ribs. “You better come watch me play in the Olympic game if we make it that far.”

“You will,” Aaron says quietly. He kisses Matt's shoulder, since that's the closest thing to him. “And yeah, I'll be there. If your mom doesn't come, then she can watch Sophie.” 

“I think she'll want to go,” Matt says with a hum. “Think Zara would be up to it?”

“Probably.” Aaron tugs the blanket up higher. “Anyway, that's not for a while. We’ll deal with it when the time comes. As much as Sophie would like to go, she doesn't have a passport yet, and I really don't want to worry about her the entire time I'm watching the game.”

“We’ll figure something out,” Matt says with a nod. “But I want us to come home with a gold medal.” He grins, and Aaron gives him a small smile in return. “Me, Kevin, Neil, and Andrew all playing together again is weird, though. I feel like you and Nicky and the girls should be there with us.” He frowns a bit. “And Seth, too, really.” 

“Yeah, well, you couldn't pay me enough money to get back on an exy court,” Aaron says. Matt groans good-naturedly. “Anyway -” The overly loud, obnoxious ringtone he has set for the hospital goes off. He sighs and rolls over to grab his phone and answer it. Matt climbs out of bed with him and goes to the closet to get Aaron some clothes. “I'm on the way,” Aaron says simply. He hangs up and walks around the bed to where Matt is holding out a couple of hangers.

“Wake me up when you get back,” Matt says softly. Aaron nods and gets dressed quickly. It's only jeans and a polo, but he'll be changing into scrubs once he gets there anyway, so it doesn't really matter. Matt follows him out to the living room where Aaron stops to put on his shoes. “I love you. Be safe.”

“Love you too,” Aaron murmurs. They kiss and Aaron leaves. Snow is falling as he makes his way to the hospital, and judging from the accumulation on the road, it has been for a while. He hopes the city will scrape it all away and salt the roads before he has to head home. 

After Aaron finishes the emergency surgery he'd been called in for, he sticks around for a while to finish up more of his files. He's wide awake thanks to the particularly strong coffee the nurses on the night shift favor. He likes a few of these nurses, at least, he likes them better than some of the day shift nurses he deals with all the time. If he didn't have Sophie and Matt at home, he'd ask about doing much of his work at night rather than during the day, but he prefers spending time with his family. 

It's nearly six am when he leaves, and all of his files are finished. He leaves a sticky note on Angie's door to let her know he'd finished everything. He's asked to consult with another surgeon on something before he can leave, but it doesn't take long. The drive home seems to take forever, partly because now he's nearly falling asleep as he drives. He makes it back to the house safe, though, and he's not all that surprised to find Matt and Sophie awake and in the living room when he comes through the door. 

“Aawon!” Sophie says happily. He smiles for her and hugs her when she runs over to him. He presses his cold fingers to her neck and she squeals and runs away laughing. Matt comes over to kiss him as well, then he sends Aaron to bed. Aaron goes without complaint, but tells Matt not to let him sleep past noon. Matt agrees. Aaron is asleep almost before his head hits the pillow.

Matt wakes Aaron up at noon, as he'd promised. “I just made lunch. Come on.” Matt teases him with barely-there kisses until Aaron finally gets out of bed, then he rewards him with an actual kiss. “John and Kathleen called again. They want to go to the aquarium. I told them I'd call them back after you woke up.”

“That sounds fine,” Aaron says, then yawns. “Sophie loves the aquarium.” Matt nods and rubs Aaron's back a little as they head into the kitchen. Sophie is already in her spot at the small, four-person kitchen table. Aaron sits down beside her and steals a nugget from her plate. “Wanna go to the aquarium today?”

“Yeah!” Sophie says excitedly. “Are Kyle and Sam gonna be thewe?” He nods. “Cool!”

“Why are you still in jammies, huh?” he asks, pinching the sleeve of her nightgown. “Matt didn't make you get dressed today?”

“Nope,” Sophie says. She sounds entirely too happy about it. “He said today was a lazy day until you woke up.” 

“Oh, so I'm the bad guy, huh?” Aaron asks, a little smile on his face.

“No!” Sophie protests. “Yous gonna take me to the ‘quawium.” 

Matt puts a plate of food in front of Aaron and another in the spot across from him. He leaves again, but comes back a moment later with glasses of tea. “Tell ‘im, Soph. He couldn't be a bad guy if he tried.” Aaron sticks out his tongue at Matt, then at Sophie when she giggles. He's missed this so, so much. He's glad he has it again - even if it's only for a short time before Matt has to go back to West Virginia for more Court training.

They eat lunch and Aaron takes Sophie upstairs to help her get dressed. He braids her hair for her and sends her down to the den to play while he and Matt get themselves ready. Matt had already called Kathleen to give them a time to meet them, so now they have to hurry a bit to get there. Aaron doesn't care if they are late, honestly, but Matt does. They make it out the door on time and Matt drives his truck rather than him trying to fit into the much smaller Porsche. 

All in all, it turns out to be a nice afternoon. Sophie gets to show the boys her favorite parts of the aquarium and run around with them. John and Kathleen don't speak to Aaron and Matt much, thankfully, so Matt and Aaron are free to look at what they want to while keeping and eye on Sophie. They decline Kathleen's dinner offer, since they need go go pick Randy up from the airport soon anyway. Only the promise of getting to see Randy gets Sophie to leave the aquarium. It's one of her favorite places. Aaron suggests the planetarium for them all to go see after Christmas, and the boys seem excited by the prospect. Sophie certainly does.

They make the trip to the airport and wait inside by baggage claim for Randy. Matt has Sophie on his shoulders so she can be the first to see Randy, and she is. She calls out to her and waves wildly. Aaron can't see her yet, but he can hear her laugh. When Randy gets to them, Matt swings Sophie down into her arms for hugs and kisses. Randy then proceeds to do the same to both Aaron and Matt. 

Matt grabs Randy’s bag from the carousel and they head out to the truck. Randy carries Sophie. “I've missed you, Princess!” 

“Missed you, too!” Sophie says brightly. “Mewwy Chwistmas!”

“Merry Christmas baby girl,” Randy says with a laugh. She kisses Sophie's cheek again. “I'm starving guys. How about you?” 

“Anything you want in particular?” Matt asks as they walk through the parking garage. He smiles at his mom and Sophie. 

“Oh, I don't know,” Randy says in a way that tells Aaron she does, in fact, know. “Sophie? What do you want?” Sophie just shrugs. “Are you hungry?”

“Had a snack at the ‘quawium,” Sophie informs her.

“Oh, you went to the aquarium today? That sounds like fun!” Randy lifts Sophie up to sit on her shoulders. 

“Went with Sam and Kyle!”

Randy looks at Aaron, confused. “Her cousins,” Aaron says. “Kathleen, John, and the boys showed up at my house two days ago without any warning. It wasn't pleasant.”

“Aawon was mad a’cause they didn't tell him they was coming,” Sophie says simply. “But we did some fun stuffs alweady.”

“Oh? Like what?” Randy asks. Sophie proceeds to tell her all about the night at the restaurant with the arcade as they make their way to the truck. She finishes right about the time she buckles herself into her carseat. Aaron offers Randy the front seat, but she declines, so Aaron rides up front with Matt and they quietly discuss restaurant options while Sophie tells Randy about their dinner last night, even if it wasn't as fun or eventful as the other dinner. 

They go out to eat, go shopping for presents for the boys (and Kathleen and John at Sophie's insistence), then they head back to the house. Randy settles on the couch with Sophie, and they play catch-up some more while Matt takes Randy’s bag upstairs to one of the guest rooms. It is a mostly quiet night. Aaron sits on one end of the couch and looks at his family and feels...content, even happy. He never thought in his wildest dreams that he'd actually be in this sort of situation, and sometimes, he still can't believe that it's real. Matt gives him a questioning look at one point, but Aaron just shakes his head and offers up a small smile. Matt takes his hand and kisses his knuckles. 

The next day is Christmas Eve. After lunch, Matt calls Kathleen and tells her to bring the boys over to the house. An hour later, she shows up with them, but John is noticeably absent. When Matt asks, Kathleen says something about John not feeling well. Matt doesn't press.

Aaron and Matt take the boys and Sophie outside and get them geared up in some of the exy gear they keep handy. The boys are ectatic. They all spend a few hours out in the cold and snow running around playing a mock game of little leagues exy. The kids don't want to stop playing, but Randy has made them snacks, and the promise of food and hot chocolate and a movie gets them to agree to go inside. While the kids eat and watch  _ The Nightmare Before Christmas _ \- Sophie's choice - Aaron, Matt, Randy, and even Kathleen pile up in the kitchen with coffee and they start to cook dinner.

Matt has to leave just before the movie is over, so Randy takes the kids to the den and they play some games on Sophie's Wii. Kathleen stirs up some mix for a pecan pie while Aaron works on some deviled eggs - since they're one of Matt's favorites. It's quiet and nice, actually. Kathleen herself has always been nice. She has a soft, quiet optimism about her when she's relaxed and happy that reminds Aaron of Katelyn.

“So, John managed to get our flight changed. We leave the day after tomorrow instead. We’ll go see my parents.” 

“Sounds nice,” Aaron says without any sort of inflection in his voice. “Tomorrow is going to be a bit of a weird day for us. Last year, Sophie had a bad day because she was still so upset over Katelyn and Gregg. We all were, really, but we tried to make it nice for Soph. Didn't exactly work out. I'm hoping this year is a little easier.”

“Will we be able to come see her tomorrow?” Kathleen asks quietly.

“If you want,” Aaron says with a shrug. “Andrew and Neil are coming over tomorrow afternoon as well.” He smirks a bit. “It's a good thing you aren't staying for New Year’s. We're having a party for all of our old teammates. They're a difficult crowd to be around. Plus a couple of my friends from med school are coming, and some of Matt's teammates will be here.”

“Where will Sophie be?” Kathleen asks with a frown. 

“With Randy,” Aaron says. “Matt has another Court game after the first of the year. It's at home and I scheduled the time off to go see it. Sophie and Zara are going to New York with Randy and I'll meet them up there the day before the game.” 

“Sounds nice,” Kathleen says stiffly. 

Aaron doesn't comment. He hears his phone ring, so he wipes his hands clean and he grabs it. It's Matt. “Did you get it?”

“Yeah!” Matt laughs. “Fuck, babe, he's so cute! He's black.” Aaron hears a tiny puppy bark and Matt's laughter. “I'll be home in like, five minutes. I went and got all the stuff for him first.”

“Okay,” Aaron says. “Your mom has all the kids in the den.”

“Perfect.” Aaron can hear the smile in Matt's voice.

Aaron hangs up and looks at Kathleen. “Your kids aren't afraid of dogs, are they?”

“No,” Kathleen says. She tips her head to the side. “Why?”

“Because Matt's bringing one home,” Aaron says quietly. “Sophie asked for one. She's been asking for months, and that's like, the only thing.”

“But didn't Katelyn say once that she was allergic?” Kathleen asks.

“Yeah, so we got her a poodle,” Aaron says with a shrug. “It's a standard. It'll be bigger than she is.” He cracks a small smile and grabs the tray of eggs to stuff them into the already crowded fridge.

Matt comes through the door a few minutes later with a big pet carrier and several bags on his arms. He puts the bags down in the living room, then scoops the small, black puppy out of the carrier. Aaron goes to the den and tells Sophie and the boys and Randy to come into the living room for a minute. 

Sophie follows Aaron into the living room, babbling happily about how she won a game earlier. She stops when she sees Matt holding the puppy, then she sort of shrieks a little and runs over to him, her arms held up. Matt and Aaron and Randy all laugh a little as Matt crouches and puts the puppy in Sophie's arms.

“So cute!” Sophie shouts. The puppy licks her face again and again, and she giggles.

“What do you want to name him?” Matt asks. 

“It's a boy?” Sophie asks. Matt nods. “Um.” Sophie puts him on the floor and sits down with him to scratch him and play with him. Aaron goes through the bags and finds a ball and a rope toy and brings them to Sophie. She grins and starts rolling the ball across the floor for the puppy to chase. He trips over his paws and flops on his belly. “Exy!” She laughs, and Aaron and Matt groan.

“Not Exy,” Aaron says, going back to the other bags to empty them and figure out what all Matt bought. The boys settle on the floor near Sophie and play with the puppy as well. 

“We could do something from a tv show,” Matt says as he sits on the floor as well. Aaron tosses a stuffed duck at him and Matt catches it easily. He offers it to the puppy, but aside from sniffing at it a little, he doesn't seem very interested. “Or a movie you like.”

“Luke!” Sophie chirps. She looks over her shoulder at Aaron and grins.

“Like from  _ Star Wars _ ?” Aaron asks with a smirk. She nods, but her attention is quickly diverted back to the puppy who is now chewing on her fingers. “Luke is is a hell of a lot better than ‘Exy’ at least.” 

“We could do ‘Mel,'” Matt suggests. “Short for Millennium Falcon. Or Yoda. Or R2. Or Anakin.” 

“Vader, Maul, Palpatine,” Aaron lists, balling up one of the now empty plastic bags. 

“I like Mel,” Kyle says, looking up at Matt. 

“Me too,” Sam says with a grin of his own. “Soph, you should pick Mel.”

“‘Kay,” Sophie says. “Mel!” She scratches the puppy’s ears. “Youw name is Mel now, puppy.”

“We gotta teach it to him,” Matt says. “It might take him a little while to learn everything.”

“‘Kay,” Sophie says. She shrieks when the puppy starts to pee on the hardwood. Matt scoops him up and takes him straight out back. Aaron just sighs and goes to get what he needs to clean up the mess. He has a feeling he'll be dealing with this a lot. Still, he can't be truly annoyed, not when Sophie tackles his leg in a hug.

“Thank you.” 

“Happy Birthday, princess,” he says softly. He laughs. “Or Merry Christmas. Which ever you want.” She sticks her tongue out at him, then runs off to the back porch. 

They all eat a short while later, and Kathleen and the boys leave with food for John. Sophie plays with Mel for the rest of the night, even taking him outside when Matt tells her she should, feeding him, and learning how to clean up after him. When it's time for bed, she begs and begs for Mel to sleep with her, so Aaron relents and agrees. He'd said no, originally, but he can't really deny Sophie when it comes to things like this. 

The next morning, Christmas morning, begins like most mornings. Sophie can't quite bear to break from her schedule, but she has her puppy following her around or exploring the house. There is a quiet undercurrent of excitement from her as she plays with him and looks at the Christmas tree that has magically gained more presents overnight. (She doesn't believe in Santa, but the idea of putting out extra presents Christmas Eve after she went to bed wasn't one Matt was willing to budge on. Aaron doesn't care either way.) 

There is only one bout of tears and it isn't quite a true tantrum, which Aaron is unspeakably grateful for. He and Sophie spend a quiet moment up in her room during her tv time, just talking about Katelyn and Gregg and the baby brother she never got to meet. Mel is a good distraction, especially when he goes for one of Sophie's nightgowns and winds up all tangled up in it. Aaron cleans up her face, brushes her hair, and makes her get dressed before they head back downstairs to greet Andrew and Neil who've just arrived.

They eat, then Kathleen and her family show up as well. Shortly after, everything revolves around the kids and their presents. It's a bit of a madhouse, with all three kids tearing into boxes and bags and making a huge mess, but it's also really nice. Aaron sits in Matt's lap on the couch, watching with a small smile as Matt records Sophie ripping open the paper on a box bigger than she is to reveal a kitchen playset. She also gets new gear to match Matt's, Neil's, and Andrew's new team. The boys get exy jerseys with their names on the back and wind up wearing them as soon as they see them. 

Once the kids have moved their new toys and other things to the den to play, the adults spend a while just cleaning up the mess. There's another present for Sophie, but Aaron and Matt haven't given it to her just yet. It needs to wait a bit longer. The adults do their gift exchanges with lots of quiet ‘thank yous’ and they settle in with drinks around the television. There is no big dinner today, just leftovers from the night before, but no one minds.

Aaron finally gets up and grabs Sophie's cake from the kitchen. He shoves the candles on it and calls the kids into the kitchen. Matt records everything again as they all sing “happy birthday” to Sophie. She blows out her candles with a big smile. Randy cuts the cake and serves everyone. A short while later, they all wind up outside when the kids beg to be allowed to play exy. So Aaron, Matt, and Neil all join in as well. Andrew watches from the porch beside Randy.

When it begins to get dark, Matt calls an end to their little game. They pack everything away again and head inside to drink plenty of water and relax a bit. Sophie shoots down every attempt at a holiday-themed movie until they settle on  _ The Lion King _ . Aaron knows she remembers that he doesn't like Christmas movies, and he makes it a point to whisper a soft thank you to her. She just smiles up at him.

Once the movie is over, and John and Kathleen are getting ready to take the boys back to the hotel, Matt gets the last present from his and Aaron's room. Aaron tugs Sophie up into his lap. “We have one more gift for you, Soph, but this one is different.”

“How?” Sophie asks, looking from Aaron to Matt curiously. 

“Because you get to choose this one,” Matt says gently. He sits beside her and he tugs out a bunch of papers from a little bag. He flips to a specific page and he points to a line. “These papers say that me and Aaron will adopt you. You'll be Sophie Minyard-Boyd, if you want.”

“It doesn't mean that Katelyn and Gregg weren't you're mommy and daddy,” Aaron says softly. “It will never mean that. But since they are gone now….”

“Aaron and I can be your dads, if you want,” Matt finishes. “You don't have to say yes. We won't make you do anything you don't want to do.”

Sophie is quiet for a long moment. She touches the papers where her new name is printed. Randy sniffs a little from her spot in the chair by the window. Aaron remembers that there are other people in his house, then, and he glances up at Andrew first. His expression is blank in a way that is unreadable. Neil doesn't have much of an expression, either. Kathleen looks angry, which doesn't really surprise Aaron. John is staring at the floor, so there isn't a way to tell what he might be thinking. Randy looks like she's ready to cry.

“Do I haveta call you both daddy?” Sophie asks, looking over at Matt.

He laughs. “No, silly goose. You can still call us Matt and Aaron if you want. That's up to you, too.”

Sophie nods. “‘Kay. ‘Dopt me. Wanna be Sophie Minyawd-Boyd now.” 

Aaron kisses the top of her head as Matt hugs her. Then Matt blows a raspberry on her arm, and Sophie laughs as she pushes him away. “Ew!” She wipes her arm on Aaron's shirt - of course. “Mel, get ‘im!” Mel barks once and Sophie laughs and claps her hands. “Good boy!” Mel barks again and bounces a little until he trips over his own paws and his face smacks into the couch. Aaron snorts. 

“I think you got a defective dog, Matt,” he says dryly.

“Don't make fun ‘a him!” Sophie protests loudly. She squirms her way out of Aaron's lap and gathers Mel up in her arms to kiss his head. “He's a good puppy.”

“He just isn't very coordinated,” Aaron says lightly. Sophie sticks out her tongue at him and he does it right back, which just makes her giggle. “So, Soph, you get to call Randy ‘grandma’ now.” 

“Oh, no you don't!” Randy protests with a laugh. She wipes her eyes on her sleeve. “Tina,” she says, but she doesn't pronounce it like the name, more like  _ tee-naah _ . Sophie garbles it the first time, but Randy has her repeat it a couple of times until she gets it right. 

“What is that from?” Kathleen asks as she helps Sam into his coat. 

“I'm Samoan,” Randy says with a smile. “It means ‘mother,’ technically, but it's used for grandmother sometimes.” 

“I see,” Kathleen says. Her voice is more than a little stiff. She looks at Aaron and Matt. “I wish you'd informed us before making such a decision.”

“Why?” Aaron asks. “I'm her legal guardian. Matt and I finally got fucking married just so we  _ could _ adopt her.” He crosses his arms over his chest. 

“Oh, well, congratulations I suppose,” Kathleen says with even more stiffness to her voice. John sneers a little, but he doesn't actually say anything. It's a good thing, too. Even with the kids there, Randy and Neil both look ready to crawl all over his ass just for the nasty look alone. Aaron guesses it's easier for John not to actually think about Aaron and Matt being together. He doesn't really fucking care. “Say goodbye to Sophie, boys,” Kathleen says quickly. Sophie goes over to them and hugs them both. She also hugs Kathleen, but she avoids John. “Sophie, give John a hug.”

“She doesn't have to,” Matt says roughly. John takes the boys outside and Randy picks Sophie up to carry her upstairs. Kathleen just stares at Matt, her anger clearly visible now.

“What is your problem with my husband?” Kathleen demands. “Sophie has been incredibly rude to him for this entire trip! She won't have anything to do with him at all.”

“Because he molested her,” Andrew says bluntly.

Kathleen jerks her head to look at him. “How  _ dare _ you!”

“It's true, Kathleen,” Aaron says. Kathleen, red, looks over at him. “Sophie told Andrew back during the summer.”

“This is ridiculous!” Kathleen shouts. “I don't have to listen to this - this slander!”

“It's true whether you want to admit it or not,” Matt snaps. “Sophie has nightmares about it! She goes to fucking therapy for it!”

“If you know so much, why didn't you go to the police then?” Kathleen snaps like she's trying to catch them in a lie.

“Because she was fucking four!” Aaron shouts, fed up with the whole conversation already. “She has an eidetic memory, Kathleen! She remembers everything! I wasn't going to force her through something that goddamn traumatic when I didn't have to, when there was a good chance that nothing would be done about it because it had been too fucking long since John had molested her the last time anyway.”

“So when was it then?” Kathleen asks. “She didn't see us for months before Katelyn and Gregg died!”

“Before then,” Matt says. “The summer before, is what Sophie said. When she was fucking three years old. Your bastard husband abused her. And you're defending him!” 

“Because you're lying!” Kathleen shouts. “You must have found out we were challenging the legal guardianship and now you're trying to do anything you can think of to keep her. How do I know you two are the ones abusing her, huh?” 

Aaron balls his shaking hands up into fists. He can't speak for rage-induced nausea climbing up throat. He wants to hurt Kathleen, even if he knows he can't do that. 

In a flash, from literally nowhere, Randy slides by Aaron. She slaps Kathleen across the face, snapping Kathleen's head to the side. “You have  _ no _ right to insult my sons like that! Your husband is the one who abused Sophie, no one else. If you can't accept that, maybe it's best that you don't come around anymore. But I can promise you this, if you try to sue for custody, we will fight with everything we've got. Not only is Aaron Sophie's biological father, but between myself and the two of them, we have more money than you or your husband could hope to make in a lifetime. We will buy the best team of lawyers in the fucking world. There is also the matter of Katelyn and Gregg leaving Sophie with Aaron as her legal guardian. They chose him for a reason. Not you, not your mother. You can try to fight, but I promise you right now, you will not win.” Kathleen just stares at Randy as she holds the side of her face for a long moment. “I suggest you leave now.” Kathleen leaves. 

Randy faces Matt and hugs her son tightly. “Thanks, Mom,” Matt says softly. “That was...really nice.” 

Randy kisses Matt's cheek. “It was the truth. I couldn't let her stand there and say that about the two of you.” She lets go of Matt and eases her way closer to Aaron. She doesn't automatically hug him, but she does grip his arms and duck her head a bit to look him in the eyes. “She can't touch you two when it comes to adopting Sophie. I won't let her.”

Aaron nods a little bit. “Thank you.” Randy slowly moves closer and embraces him warmly. She kisses his temple.

“Can I come down now?” Sophie calls from the stairs.

“Yes, princess,” Matt says quickly. Randy pulls away from Aaron as Sophie bounces down the stairs. “Why don't you take Mel out again, okay?” 

“‘Kay.” Sophie grabs her jacket from the low hook it hangs on and she stomps into her boots by the back door. She calls Mel to her and the puppy almost trips over his paws again as he runs to her. Sophie giggles and opens the door for them to go outside. 

“I need a drink,” Aaron mutters. He heads into the kitchen. Andrew meets him there and shoves a bottle of fucking Macellen in his hands at the last minute. Aaron just stares at him for a moment. “What's this for?”

“Merry Christmas,” Andrew says as flatly as he can possibly manage. 

Aaron huffs. “Fine. Grab a glass at least.” Andrew does just that. Aaron pours them both generous glasses, though not too large since it is ridiculously expensive whiskey. Neil and Andrew head out to the back porch to smoke once Sophie and Mel come back inside.

Matt, Aaron, Sophie, and Mel pile up on the couch together with Sophie between Matt and Aaron. Sophie picks  _ Beauty and the Beast _ , her favorite movie, for them to watch. Randy sits in the chair with a soft smile on her face and she takes a picture of them. Later, she'll end up printing that picture out and hanging it up in her living room. Aaron will end up asking for a copy of it as well, and that picture becomes the first true family picture they have. 

Aaron knows things aren't perfect yet, but when Andrew and Neil settle on the loveseat together, he looks out at the little collection of family he's gathered up in this room and he thinks, maybe, he's pretty damn close to perfect.


End file.
